When a local school district tried to force a member family into a remediation program, Home School Legal Defense Association was able to protect their right to home school their child without government supervision.

At the end of the 2000-01 school year, Mr. and Mrs. A.'s son scored below the statutorily required level on his standardized test. Under one option of Iowa law, this would mean that the family's home school program would be placed on a one-year "probation" while they instituted a remediation plan to be overseen by the Iowa Department of Education.

However, because the family home schooled under the supervision of a licensed teacher, their program was not subject to any such remedial oversight.

When their district tried to force them to submit a plan, Mr. and Mrs. A. contacted HSLDA. We wrote to the state department of education, explaining that the district lacked legal authority to compel the family to choose one home schooling option over another.

Our member family can now continue to work with their son at his own pace without having to worry about a government official peering over their shoulder all year.